Work on Great Pond Dam about to start

The Tri-Town Water Board is reviewing bids to reinforce the Great Pond Dam.

Fred Hanson The Patriot Ledger @Fhanson_Ledger

BRAINTREE – A project to reinforce the Great Pond Dam is about to get underway.

The project calls for adding a layer of stone to the exterior of the earthen dam. Michael Walsh, a vice president of consulting engineers CDM Smith, said the project is “armoring the dam to protect it in periods of heavy rain.”

The stone prevents water from getting inside the structure and weakening it, he explained.

The Tri-Town Water Board met Tuesday afternoon to review the bids for the project. The board held off on awarding the contract at the request of Holbrook Town Administrator Timothy Gordon, who wanted more time to review the materials.

Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan, who chairs the tri-town board, said the project has been three years in the making.

“This is a very important project for us in terms of the safety of the dam,” Sullivan said,

This would be the first major structural work on the dam, which separates Great Pond and the Upper Reservoir, since it was built in 1934-35, he said.

The two bodies of water, along with the Richardi Reservoir, serve as the water supply for the towns of Braintree, Randolph and Holbrook.

Asked by Sullivan how long the repairs will extend the life of the dam, Walsh replied “it’s going to last a long time.”

The project includes installing a fish ladder which will allow river herring to spawn in the area.

The lowest of the 10 bidders on the project is D & C Construction of Rockland at $1.05 million.

A grant of $164,000 from the state’s dam and seawall program paid for the project’s design.

The state has also given a low interest loan of $1 million to the communities for the project. The towns will split the costs, with Braintree paying 48 percent, Randolph 37 percent and Holbrook’s share at 17 percent.